Amazon is changing its return policy right before Christmas, how curious! They just confirmed that everything you buy starting November 1 and until December 31, 2025 can be returned until January 31, 2026, two months to decide if what you bought is worth it or if you prefer to invest the money in something better.
And you may wonder why this change, well, now weeks of heavy spending are coming and it is key, both for the company and for the buyer, to have that support, and why not say it, because they want to improve customers’ opinion of the brand, and one way to make many users happy is simply by making returns easier when people buy the most. Did you buy a telescope for your kid but he wants a PS5? You exchange it, no questions or problems.
It is wonderful, especially for the indecisive ones, so we are going to tell you what is happening at Amazon.
Amazon thinking about Christmas
During most of the year, Amazon works with the traditional 30 day return rule. But of course, at Christmas that does not make much sense. Many people start buying gifts at the beginning of November, keep them, wrap them and do not give them until December 24 or 25 in the best cases (do you not also have some gifts for your little cousins stored in the garage for when you see them?)
And in that case the return window is too short, this way they make sure users have more time to think, and more initiative to buy (because they will be able to return it if they do not like it). And they will not be afraid of missing the deadline, until January 31!!
Strategic move
According to experts cited by Newsweek, Amazon is not going through its best moment in terms of public image, there are lawsuits, layoffs, internal controversies… You know, the usual for big companies.
So this extension, besides being practical for the user, will help the brand regain trust and build customer loyalty (and also, of course, make people forget a little about this turbulent period they are living).
And of course, it is also a very clear incentive to sell more, we said it before, if you have more time to return a product, you will probably not hesitate twice to buy it.
Are all products included in these returns?
Most, yes, but there are some exceptions that are quite logical, perishable products (from the supermarket), some items with health restrictions, pet medications, cars and houses or personalized products cannot be returned. It is logical, for safety, for hygiene or simply because returning them is impossible.
And be careful because if you are thinking of buying an Apple product, these have their own deadline and can only be returned until January 15, 2026, think twice because they are not cheap!
How do refunds work now?
It depends on the method you choose:
- Gift card balance is the fastest, in 2–3 hours you will have it available.
- Refund to credit card will take between 3 and 5 business days.
- Refund to debit card is the slowest and can take up to 10 days.
This is great for planning, if you want speed or if you prefer to get the money back in your bank even if it takes longer.
What do experts think?
Most agree that Amazon is “softening” its policies to gain ground against the competition and reduce the pressure on its own logistics centers, well yes, I think we can confirm it, right?
Less saturation and more calm
With this change both sides win, customers because they can shop more relaxed, and Amazon workers avoid a wave of returns the first week after Christmas.
What can you expect in the coming weeks?
Spending money. Between Black Friday, Cyber Monday and Christmas, the platform lives its most intense time of the year, so good luck trying not to fall into excessive shopping!
After these weeks of chaos, the platform will evaluate whether the experiment works and whether it is worth repeating in the coming years.
Good luck in your shopping season 😉